


Lost boys (don't hand over the future)

by Florchis



Series: love bites so deep [5]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: A trip back to Memory Lane, Bleachers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, mentions of bullying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-02
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-06-20 10:42:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15532494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Florchis/pseuds/Florchis
Summary: Fitz is invited to give a talk at his old high-school, but memories are not so easy to swallow as he was expecting. Luckily, Hunter is there to comfort him.





	Lost boys (don't hand over the future)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [theclaravoyant](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theclaravoyant/gifts).



> This fills the "FitzHunter: under the bleachers" square in my [ MCU Bingo Card](http://florchis.tumblr.com/post/174965037436/this-is-the-temporary-masterpost-i-will-be-using)
> 
> I'm accepting prompts for it and for my[ MCU Kink Bingo Card.](http://florchis.tumblr.com/post/175123302736/mcu-kink-bingo-card-2018) too. If you want, you can look for some inspiration in my [Visual Prompts List](http://florchis.tumblr.com/post/174316812926/visual-promptswriting-references) (warnings for NSFW descriptions and links that take to NSFW pictures).

When Fitz got the invitation to give a motivational speech at his old high school, Hunter told him that it was totally his call, of course, but if someone had asked him what he expected to happen, he would never have imagined that Fitz was going to say yes. Among many other things, that’s part of the beauty of being in this relationship, that he is always being surprised time and time again. 

Jemma offers to escort him, but after sharing with her one of those long, infamous conversations without words, Fitz gracefully declines.

(Bobbi told him once, during a long, melancholic bottle of wine they were sharing while Fitzsimmons were at one of their many many congresses and whatnot, that she was a tiny bit jealous of the easy, deep relationship her wife shared with her best friend. Hunter shrugged, and she squinted her eyes, accusing him with a gesture of her hand that made the glass of wine she was holding slosh all over the edge.

“How can you not care about it?”

“It’s not that I don’t care, but when I met him he was already half of this deeply symbiotic pair, it would be unfair on my part to expect things to change just because I am now part of his life.”

Bobbi gaped at him, “When did you get so wise, Lancelot?”

Hunter strutted his chest out.

“I have always been. You are just now catching up, Barbara.”

Okay, maybe he  _ did  _ deserve the empty bottle of wine she threw at his head.)

Fitz didn’t put up any fight at Hunter scorting him, though, and that’s how they are now strolling around his old schoolyard. They have already visited Mary, and Hunter is still basking in the taste of homemade shortbread and the feel of homemade love. They say people tend to grow into their parents, and if that is the case, he couldn’t be happier about the future that awaits him with the man he is going to marry.

Fitz is twitchy, kind of nervous, and Hunter watches him closely; he usually rebels against having to travel and dress up and dumb down his research, but it doesn’t seem to be the case now, and besides that, he doesn’t make such a big deal of conferences and master classes at universities. So why would he be affected by this one, small thing?

He nudges Fitz’s shoulder with his, and when Fitz jerks back like Hunter had shot him, red alarms go off in his head.

“Hey, are you okay?” It’s probably a bit of a silly question, but Hunter has learned that asking what might seems obvious it’s not a waste of time with Fitz. At worst he comes out as overprotective, and he really doesn’t mind that much when it’s with him.

Fitz shakes his head no, and him going non-verbal is another signal on itself that something is not okay. Hunter places a tentative hand on his elbow- getting ready to the possibility of being rejected once again-, and when Fitz doesn’t recoil, uses it to guide him a little out of sight. Dark and hidden usually help Fitz calm down, so when he sees the humble school bleachers, he doesn’t doubt it and guides Fitz to sit down with him under them.

“Come here.” Fitz looks pointedly at his slacks, and Hunter shrugs. “Don’t worry, the kids will think you are just cool if you are a little disheveled.”

He doesn’t seem to buy it, not really, but still follows after Hunter and they both sit on the grass with their legs crossed and their knees touching. Hunter grabs his hands and places them on top of his knees, rubbing soothing circles on his palms with his thumbs.

“Wanna bail out on them?”

Fitz half-scoffs, half-sobs, and somewhere in between those, he finds his voice again, “I can’t do that, Hunter.”

“You can do whatever the hell you want, love. If you are not feeling it, no need to explain it, I will craft an excuse for you on the spot. You know I’m skilled like that.”

There is a long stretch of silence, and Hunter tries to come as non-imposing as possible, keeping his caresses but lowering his eyes.

“What if I want to explain it?”

“What?”

“Not to the school. But to, um, to you. Tell you why I am freaking out. Would that be okay?”

Hunter raises his head, surprised; sometimes it pains him that Fitz still feels the need to ask for permission just to share his feelings. But he also feels blessed that Fitz is secure enough with him to want to share his feelings. 

Feels blessed that, despite everything, he is here with Fitz.

“Whatever you wanna share, love. I’m here for you for better and for worse, yeah?”

That draws a soft laugh out of Fitz, and Hunter grins.

“We’re not married yet.”

“Doesn’t make it any less true.”

Fitz inhales deeply, and Hunter recognizes that the moment of lightheartedness has passed, and straightens his back, wanting to show that he is really serious about this.

Fitz opens his mouth, not a sound comes out, closes it and opens it again.

“It feels really silly. I am a grown ass man, I shouldn’t be caring about this kind of stuff.”

“It is not silly if it makes you feel bad. Your feelings are yours, and fuck everyone else.”

“Okay.” Fitz inhales deeply once again, and Hunter squeezes his hands in encouragement. “I said yes to coming back because, well, because I had a bad time here. A  _ terrible  _ time. I always was too smart, too small, too awkward, and then I realized, even too gay. But I pushed through, and I came out on the other side of it stronger.” Hunter nods at that because this is Fitz’s story, but he wants to make sure he knows it’s true, and if he can’t show murderous intentions towards his bullies, at least he gotta show positive feelings towards him. “I wanted to show them a ‘you tried to break me and yet I thrived’ kind of thing. And to be an example to kids like me, that, well, that things do get better, no matter how trite it does sound.” He laughs bitterly, and Hunter’s heart at the same time soars and breaks. “But let’s be honest here. Who says that I am a good example to anyone?”

“I say.” The reply comes out of his mouth so fast that even Fitz looks at him in surprise. “If you want to leave, love, we will leave. But if you think kids can benefit from seeing someone like you, and I do think you are the best example they could ever get, stay. Stay and show them that what happened to you is not who you are, and the same can be true for them. That you are a genius, and an engaged man, and a good man and, on top of everything, that you are happy, Fitz.”

He raises to his knees and cradles Fitz’s face in between his hands.

“Hunter…”

“No, love, let me finish. Show them that you see kindness with these eyes that have cried.” He takes Fitz’s hands and moves them to his mouth to kiss his knuckles. “Show them that you create wonders with these hands that have been clenched in anger.” There are tears on the corners of Fitz’s eyes, and Hunter kisses them away, his lips grazing softly against the skin of his temple. “Show them that you love with this heart that has suffered.”

“Lance Hunter, I can’t believe you are being so irremediably cheesy.” His words are teasing, but his voice is trembling, and his arms are holding Hunter tight against his chest, and Hunter doesn’t even pretend that he doesn’t see this as the gratitude Fitz is not ready to express just yet.

“With you? I can be everything with you, love, and that’s how I know that you are the best person to show these kids that they too can be anything they want to be.”     


End file.
